The resilience of transport networks, homes, hospitals and water supplies in England need to be enhanced to counter the more frequent and severe flooding and heatwaves that can be expected in future. This is the key finding of a new report by the UK government’s official adviser on preparing for climate change. The findings are … Continue reading New report from UK: Buildings and infrastructure ill-prepared for changing climate
Developing a strategy to avoid a climate catastrophe
Suzanne Goldenberg writes in The Guardian about a new report to the UN that to prescribes concrete actions that the biggest 15 economies must take to keep warming below 2C. Unfortunately, the report did not provide a cost-benefit analysis of the sweeping transformation that would be needed in all 15 countries to keep warming within … Continue reading Developing a strategy to avoid a climate catastrophe
Impact of a carbon tax
EiD has given readers articles about energy and climate change policies in Canada to give them a better appreciation of how the fossil fuel industry can distort national policies that used to be appreciated globally. Three distinguished experts provided an important column in Canada’s Globe and Mail about a major success story in one province. … Continue reading Impact of a carbon tax
World Trade Organisation about to re-start negotiations on green goods
After the failure of the Doha Round, the WTO was paralysed for a considerable period. Now the new head of the WTO is trying to get the ball rolling again, according to Shawn Donnan in the Financial Times. Green goods trade talks set to start The world’s leading economies are due on Tuesday to launch … Continue reading World Trade Organisation about to re-start negotiations on green goods
Important blog on UK energy policy
Nick Butler is a regular writer/blogger in the Financial Times and his recent blog reflects on the state of British energy policy, or the lack thereof. There is so much written about UK energy policy but this is a good one for those outside the UK to get a better idea of just what is … Continue reading Important blog on UK energy policy
Saving energy not a consumer priority in Armenia
After Armenia became independent I worked there on an emergency programme to revamp the entire energy system, including making energy efficiency a priority. We worked with up to four hours of electricity a day in unheated offices and horrendous conditions. The number of people dying from cold was staggering. It was discouraging to read this … Continue reading Saving energy not a consumer priority in Armenia
Looking at Europe’s shale gas efforts from abroad
Eric Reguly writes in Canada’s Globe and Mail about his concerns for the future of the shale gas industry in Europe. Europe’s shale gas backers are living in a fantasy world The Ukraine crisis has come as a godsend to the shale gas cheerleaders in Europe. Russian natural gas exports to Western and Central Europe, … Continue reading Looking at Europe’s shale gas efforts from abroad
Estimating what customers are saving
Both customers and analysts are always trying to determine what are the savings from energy efficiency programmes. According to Renew Grid, one utility in Detroit has made such estimates and given customers a pleasant surprise. Understandably, such estimates have often been undertaken; yet, these positive results are impressive. Utilities Reveal Just How Much Customers Are … Continue reading Estimating what customers are saving
Planning for new energy performance database on Europe’s buildings
Vicky Ellis writes in EnergyLive News about a new database entitled Energy Efficiency Performance of Properties Analysis. This effort is certainly welcome. Craning to see which are the most efficient buildings in Europe? Ever wondered which continental country has the most energy efficient buildings? Or how your building squares up to one in Germany … Continue reading Planning for new energy performance database on Europe’s buildings
This week’s briefs
There are a few important briefs this week. • WIPO Highlights Growing Trend of Renewable Energy Patents The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has released a report detailing trends in patents for renewable energy technology. The findings indicate that more Climate Change Mitigation Technology (CCMT) patents have been filed in the past five years … Continue reading This week’s briefs
